1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a hinge, and more particularly to a frameless glass door hinge that can adjust a glass door in a transverse direction.
2. Description of Related Art
With reference to FIG. 8, a conventional frameless glass door hinge comprises a mounting device (50), a hinge assembly (60), an adjusting device (70) and an internal doorstop (80).
The mounting device (50) comprises a bracket leaf (51), threaded bolts (not numbered), a doorstop bracket (52), a central hinge pin (53) and a bushing (not numbered). The bracket leaf (51) comprises a front surface (not numbered), a rear surface (not numbered) and through holes (not numbered). The rear surface has an inside edge (not numbered), a recess (511) and an elongated recess hole (5111). The recess (511) extends into the rear surface of the bracket leaf (51) from the inside edge, and the elongated recess hole (5111) extends through the bracket leaf from the recess (511).
The doorstop bracket (52) comprises a bracket body (not numbered) and two ears (522). The doorstop bracket (52) has a rear rectangular surface (not numbered), a rectangular recess (524) and a rectangular through hole (not numbered). The rectangular recess (524) is formed in the rear surface of the bracket body and communicates with the recess (511) in the bracket leaf (51). The bracket leaf (51) is formed on the bracket body of the doorstop bracket (52). The rectangular through hole extends from the rectangular recess (524) through the bracket body. The bracket body extends forward and forms two ears (522) with a head gap (521) formed between the two ears (522). A pivot hole (523) passes vertically through both ears (522).
The bushing has an upper segment (not numbered) and a lower segment (not numbered). Each segment has an end flange (not numbered) and a hollow shaft (not numbered), and the hollow shafts of the two segments are mounted in the pivot holes (523) respectively such that the hollow shafts face each other. The central hinge pin (53) is a cylindrical shaft and has an upper end (not numbered) and a lower end (not numbered). Flutes (not numbered) are formed on the upper end of the central hinge pin (53).]
The adjusting device (70) comprises a key (71) and a bolt (73). The key (71) has a rectangular end (not numbered), a round end (not numbered), a rectangular through hole (not numbered) and a threaded hole (711). The rectangular through hole (not numbered) extends through the rectangular end of the key (71), and the threaded hole (711) extends through the round end of the key (71). When the key (71) is slid into the recesses (511, 524) in the mounting device (50), the threaded hole (711) in the key (71) aligns with and can be adjusted in the elongated recess hole (5111). The bolt (73) extends through the elongated recess hole (5111) and screws into the threaded hole (711) from the front surface of the bracket leaf (51) to hold the key (71) in place.
The internal doorstop (80) comprises a head (81), two coil springs (83), two holders (84) and a stop rod (85). The head (81) comprises a central pivot hole (811), a round surface (not numbered), detents (812) and a neck (813). The central pivot hole (811) extends vertically through the head (81) and aligns with the pivot holes (523) through the ears (522) on the mounting device (50). The detents (812) are formed in the round surface parallel to the central pivot hole (811). When the head (81) is mounted in the head gap (521) between the ears (522) of the doorstop bracket (52), the bushing segments extending through the pivot holes (523) extend into the central pivot hole (811). The central hinge pin (53) extends through the bushing and holds the head (81) in the head gap (523) between the ears (522). The neck (813) of the head (81) extends through the rectangular through hole and recess (524) in the body of the doorstop bracket (52) and the rectangular hole in the key (71). The key (71) holds the head (81) firmly in position. A gap (not shown) is formed between the head (81) and the doorstop bracket (52) so the head (81) will pivot around the central hinge pin (53) when the key (71) is loosened.
The stop rod (85) has two ends (not numbered). Each holder (84) has a shaft (not numbered) and a head (not numbered). Each head has a distal end (not numbered) and a transverse mounting slot (not numbered) radially extending from the transverse head. The shafts of the holders (84) are mounted respectively in the coil springs (83), and the two ends of the stop rod (85) are mounted respectively in the transverse mounting slots in the holders (84). The stop rod (85) presses against the outside surface of the head (81) and is held selectively in one of the detents (812).
The hinge assembly (60) has a right hinge leaf (62), a left hinge leaf (61) and threaded bolts (not numbered). The right hinge leaf (62) comprises two arms (not numbered), an outer surface (not shown), an inside surface (not numbered), a hollow stud (623), a U-shaped gap (not numbered) and a doorstop bracket (622). The hollow stud (623) protrudes from the inside surface and has an inner threaded hole (not numbered). The U-shaped gap (not numbered) is formed between the two arms of the right hinge leaf (62). The doorstop bracket (622) comprises a central body (not numbered) and two flat arms (not numbered). The central body has a transverse threaded hole (not numbered), a right hinge leaf recess (224). The right hinge leaf recess (624) has a rectangular space (not numbered) and two cylindrical spaces (not numbered). The two coil springs (83) are mounted respectively in the cylindrical spaces in the right hinge leaf recess (624). The holders (84) are mounted respectively in the cylindrical spaces of the right hinge leaf recess (624). The two flat arms of the doorstop bracket (622) are formed parallel to and respectively abut the two arms of the right hinge leaf (62). Two hinge pin holes (625) extend through the two flat arms of the bracket (622) respectively. The ends of the central hinge pin (53) are securely held in the hinge pin holes (625) by the flutes on one end of the central hinge pin (625).
The left hinge leaf (61) comprises an inside surface (not shown), an outer surface (not numbered), countersunk holes (612) two arms (not numbered) and a U-shaped gap (not numbered). The U-shaped gap is formed between the two arms. The countersunk holes (612) extend from the outer surface to the inside surface of the left hinge leaf (61) and correspond respectively to the threaded holes in the hollow stud (623) on the inside surface and the central body of the right hinge leaf (62). The threaded bolts are screwed into the threaded hold in the stud (623) and the central body to connect the right and left hinge leaf (62, 61) together The head (81) is connected to the hinge assembly (60) and extends into the gap between the two arms in the hinge assembly (60). The central hinge pin (53) is the pivotal center for the hinge assembly (60).
The frameless glass door hinge is attached to a doorframe (not numbered) by passing the threaded bolts through the through holes in the bracket leaf (51) and screwing the threaded bolts into threaded holes (not shown) in the doorframe. A frameless glass door (not numbered) is securely mounted between the inner surfaces of the right and left hinge leaves (62, 61). When the frameless glass door is open, the stop rod (85) is usually held in one of the detents (812) in the head (81). When the door glass is adjusted, the stop rod (85) disengages from the detent (812), and the stop rod (85) moves with the door glass on the round surface of the head (81) until the stop rod (85) engages another one of the detents (812). When the stop rod (85) engages another detent (812), the door glass stops pivoting.
When the frameless door glass is not aligned transversely with the doorframe, the threaded bolt (73) is loosened. Then the key (71) can be moved a small amount in the recess (511) in the bracket leaf (51) and the rectangular recess (524) in the body of the bracket device (50) so the internal doorstop (80) moves until the frameless glass door is aligned with the door frame. After the glass door is aligned with the doorframe, the threaded bolt (73) is screwed tightly into the threaded hole (711) in the key (71) to hold the key (71) in the recesses (524, 511). The head (81) is tightly held in the doorstop bracket (52), and the frameless door glass is free to pivot in the doorframe.
The disadvantage of the conventional frameless glass door hinge is that the key (71) has to be loosened every time the glass door needs to be adjusted transversely, which is inconvenient and tedious. To overcome the shortcomings, the present invention provides an adjusting device for a glass door hinge to mitigate or to obviate the aforementioned problems.
The primary objective of the present invention is to provide an adjusting device that is easy to access so a frameless glass door can be aligned with a doorframe in a transverse direction by a simple adjustment of a hinge assembly.
To accomplish the foregoing objective, the present invention has an angle adjusting device and an internal doorstop that can be adjusted a small amount in a transverse direction to adjust a frameless glass door in a doorframe.
Other objectives, advantages and novel features of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.